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14″ 1.42 GHz iBook G4 (Mid 2005)

LEM Staff - 2005.07.26

In July 2005, the 14″ iBook got a small speed boost (7% – from 1.33 GHz to 1.42 GHz), twice as much stock memory (512 MB vs. 256 MB), added Bluetooth 2.0 as a standard feature, and received improved video with ATI Radeon 9550 graphics with the same 32 MB of video RAM as the previous 14″ iBook G4. New to the iBook is Apple’s scrolling trackpad.

Apple no longer offers a Combo drive with the 14″ iBook. The new iBook includes a single-layer 8x SuperDrive. This model sells for US$200 less than the 1.33 GHz SuperDrive model it replaces at the same price as the previous Combo drive model.

Maximum RAM is now 1.5 GB, and this model has a 1.42 MHz system bus. This is the first iBook to requires OS X 10.4 Tiger or later – and the last iBook generation, as Apple moved to the Intel-based MacBook in Mid 2006.

Got a G4 PowerBook or iBook? Join our G4 ‘Books Group or PowerBooks and iBooks Forum.

PowerPC Architecture Was Not a Failure, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.02.16. CNET’s Brooke Crothers calls PowerPC a failed architecture, but 12 years of PowerPC Macs, IBM’s blade servers, and three game consoles tell a different story.

Why You Should Partition Your Mac’s Hard Drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.12.11. “At the very least, it makes sense to have a second partition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you have problems with your work partition, you can boot from the ’emergency’ partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics.”

Leopard runs very nicely on PowerPC Macs, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.11.19. Some claim that Mac OS X 10.5 is so optimized for Intel Macs that it runs poorly on PowerPC hardware. That’s simply not the case.

Tiger vs. Leopard: Which is best for you?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.09.22. Two great versions of Mac OS X, but unless your Mac is well above the minimum spec for Leopard and has lots of RAM, stick with Tiger.

The Compressed Air Keyboard Repair, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.07.24. If your keyboard isn’t working as well as it once did, blasting under the keys with compressed air may be the cure.

Is a used iBook still a sensible low-end option?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.10.15. From 500 MHz G3s through 1.4 GHz G4s, used iBooks range in price from under $200 to over $700. Are they a good choice, or do reliability issues say otherwise?

OS 10.4.8 making PowerBook run cooler?, Charles W. Moore, OS X Odyssey, Applelinks, 2006.10.24. “…I haven’t restarted, and the ‘Book is still running in the high 40°s – low 50°s most of the time. The fan has only activated sporadically while doing heavy multitasking.”

Picking the right laptop in 2006, Andrew J Fishkin, The Mobile Mac, 2006.05.23. You need to balance size, weight, price, power, and battery life to find just the right notebook computer for your own needs.

The sun has set on the G4, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2006.05.23. After seven years with the G4, Apple has discontinued the last model to use it, but that doesn’t make these machines obsolete.